Russell Martin has always been dedicated to being the best player he can be, and doing everything that he can during the week to ensure that he is at his best come matchday. That was always his choice as an exemplary professional, until one day, it wasn’t a choice anymore.

Eight years ago, the Scotland internationalist was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. If that condition is ringing bells with you, it is because it is the same illness that threatened the career, and at one stage, the life of Darren Fletcher.

Thankfully, Fletcher made a full recovery, and is still playing at the highest level in the English Premier League as captain of Stoke City. And thankfully for Martin, the latest arrival at Ibrox as Graeme Murty puts his own stamp on the Rangers squad, his own condition wasn’t quite as severe as his international teammate.

What it brought though was a watershed moment for Martin in terms of his diet. And there was never any doubt that the Norwich legend would do whatever it took not only to safeguard his own health, but to ensure that his football career could flourish despite his medical condition.

He became a strict vegan. And he and teammate Ikechi Anya would raise eyebrows when they weighed out their food portions when dining with the Scotland squad. It wasn’t only for his health, but also to wring the best out of himself as a footballer. And at 32, he feels it has been a blessing in disguise, giving him the best opportunity to be a hit at Ibrox despite his lack of recent first-team action.

“I’ve found something that works for me,” said Martin. “My body fat is as low as I’ve ever been.

“Physically I feel really good. That has been the frustrating thing. Usually when you are out of the first team for that length of time it is because of an injury. I haven’t been injured, I’ve just been training hard.

“I don’t think I understood the severity of my condition when I was first diagnosed. I was sitting on the toilet 30 times a day, but I thought it was something which would take medication to get over.

“I just got fed up with the medication to be honest. It didn’t make me feel very good physically or mentally. I decided to explore other avenues and found something that worked for me.

“I don’t have to take medication and I haven’t needed an operation. Unfortunately, Darren Fletcher did, so I have been lucky. I was diagnosed first and then it became public that Fletch was struggling with it, so I made contact with him then.

“I hope it can inspire people who have it, when they see the career I’ve had.

“It was a full-on, strict vegan diet for a long time. Now, I’ll have a bit of fish every now and again. It depends how I feel. And I weigh my own food out every day.

“I just feel that it’s a really short career. I try to be as professional as I possibly can, whether it’s diet, recovery, training, sleep. Although the sleep is difficult with three kids!

“But you’re a long time retired, so for me it’s not a massive sacrifice to get the best out of yourself for another four or five years.”

There is little doubt that his recent change of scenery has done Martin good. Nine years at Norwich City has cemented his legendary status at Carrow Road, but it is only after arriving in Glasgow that Martin has recognised how much he needed this opportunity. And he is open to see what might develop during his time in Govan.

“I feel energised by this if I’m honest,” he said. “I’ve been at Norwich a long time and maybe when you are there you don’t realise but the club changes.

“The manager has changed and it’s the first time it’s happened to me in my career where I’ve not been playing football. It’s been a difficult four months and I want to come here and rejuvenate my career.

“For now, my focus is on doing as well as possible for Ranger and seeing where it goes. Ideally, I would do well enough here to give Rangers enough to say that they would like to keep me, and that will give Norwich a decision to make in the summer.”

Given his impressive leadership skills, and the fact that club captain Lee Wallace remains sidelined, there is a compelling argument for Martin to assume the armband at Rangers straight away.

“I think that’s one of the reasons the manager has brought me in,” said Martin.

“He has spoken about the lads and how their high standard is brilliant. It’s about making sure it stays there all the time. They have shown that when they are at it, they can get a result like they did against Celtic. It’s about maintaining that and stopping the sloppy results against teams in the bottom half of the table.

“I’m comfortable with that. I’m not an overbearing, ruthless ranter and raver. I try to lead by example but if I feel I need to pull up one of the younger lads I will.

“We have some young players here like Ross McCrorie and David Bates, who have proven in the last few weeks how good they are.

“If I can help them as I helped Grant Hanley a little bit in the national side, then it will be good for me and for them.”